Aspects of the present invention relate in general to social network services, and more particularly, to creation and management of social network groups.
Online social network services bring individuals together in communities based on common access to the same online social network service. These online communities may facilitate communication among individual users of an online social network service based on connections established between the individual users. Such connections may be based on common interests, circumstances, friendships, family relationships, business relationships, and the like. Many online social network services allow users to enter personal information to establish a profile that is visible to other users of the online social network service. A user's profile may be made public or be limited to certain people within the online community as approved by the user.
Most online social network services also allow users to organize themselves into groups. Such groups may be based on a theme common to members of the group, such as, for example, common interests, causes, or shared circumstances In these groups messages and other data may be exchanged that is specifically applicable to or intended for the membership of that group. Some groups may allow any user to join, while other “private” groups may require that potential group members be invited by a moderator or existing member of the group. The organization of users into different groups within an online social network service may serve the purpose of focusing the exchange of information related to a specific topic or social cause to its intended recipients.